European Code Against Cancer

12 ways to reduce your cancer risk

1. Do not smoke. Do not use any form of tobacco.

2. Make your home smoke-free. Support smoke-free policies in your workplace.

3. Take action to be a healthy body weight.

4. Be physically active in everyday life. Limit the time you spend sitting.

5. Have a healthy diet:

Eat plenty of whole grains, pulses, vegetables and fruits.
Limit high-calorie foods (foods high in sugar or fat) and avoid sugary drinks.
Avoid processed meat; limit red meat and foods high in salt.

6. If you drink alcohol of any type, limit your intake. Not drinking alcohol is better for cancer prevention.

7. Avoid too much sun, especially for children. Use sun protection. Do not use sunbeds.

8. In the workplace, protect yourself against cancer-causing substances by following health and safety instructions.


9. Find out if you are exposed to radiation from naturally high radon levels in your home.

10. For women:

Breastfeeding reduces the mother’s cancer risk. If you can, breastfeed your baby.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases the risk of certain cancers.
Limit use of HRT.


11. Ensure your children take part in vaccination programmes for:

Hepatitis B (for newborns)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) (for girls).


12. Take part in organised cancer screening programmes for:

Bowel cancer (men and women)
Breast cancer (women)
Cervical cancer (women).

Please find information on cancer screening that is available in the UK

BOWEL CANCER SCREENING 

http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel/index.html

BREAST CANCER SCREENING 

http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/breastscreen/index.html

CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING

http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/

Finally, no screening exists for Prostate Cancer. However, there is a PSA blood test. Please see the below link for further information:

PROSTATE CANCER RISK MANAGEMENT 

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-prostate/Pages/prevention.aspx

In the UK, the four most common cancers in men are:

Prostate cancer
Lung cancer
Large bowel cancer
Bladder cancer.

The four most common cancers in women in the UK are:

Breast cancer
Large bowel cancer
Lung cancer
Ovarian cancer

To find information about the signs and symptoms of cancer please click on the link below which takes you to the Macmillan cancer website.

If you develop any of these symptoms it is important that you see a GP urgently. 

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Aboutcancer/Signssymptoms.aspx